Confused!!! Need help..

[triggerjay]

Ok, yesterday, I added 8.75ml of B-Ionic calcium buffer part 1 and 2. It has been 24 hours, and I noticed my zoa colony is acting funny.. well part of it at least. One half of it is completly open, and the other half, is brighter in color than usual, and only 3/4 of the way open. My shrooms look fine, (fully open) and my 3 fish, (2 clowns, and a goby) all appear to be fine. Water tested as follows YESTERDAY before B-ionic:
ph 8.0, calcium 375, nitrates 5ppm, phos 0, alk 2.75meq/l, mag 1360ppm

Today
PH 8.2 <-- only seen it this high once, Calcium 390ppm, Nitrate 5ppm, Phos 1.0<-- not detectable yesterday, Alk 3.5 meq/l<-- higher than yesterday, Mag 1500ppm <-- also higher than yesterday. Could these changes be affecting my zoas? I am sooo afraid I messed up. My levels are all about where I want them except the mag is high, Phosphates are higher than yesterday (not as many diatoms visible though), and calcium is still a little low, but fully acceptable. I am going to opt out on Kalkwasser tonight for makeup, for fear it might affect my PH too much. Time to let the tank settle in and not do any more? I just know I messed up??.... I have this gut feeling...What effects will high magnesium have on a tank? Oh yeah..it is a 55g, with 29g refugium.

Jason

 

[triggerjay]

Gee, thanks for all the help!

 

[FZ1Rider]

Just be polite and say bump. I read this yesterday but I can't answer your questions. Maybe no one who saw it at the time could. Bump it up a few times and you'll get an answer.

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

slowwwwww dowwwwwwnnnnnn

none of your water parameters are in the lethal zone for zooanthids. but when in doubt, you can always do a nice waterchange as a "shotgun" approach for diluting any and all problems with the chemistry.

the PO4 may be something to look into further however. monitor that, and for sure retest. PO4 is bad fertilizer and many corals don't like it.

you may want to quit with the all-in-one 2-part because if one parameter needs tweaking, you have to mess all the others up just to get that one in line.

use seawater levels as baseline for when it is time to dose.

for example, when alk falls below about 3 (seawater is 2.6meq or so <- dkh=8) then dose an alk product like the 6:1 baking soda/washing soda recipe. adds alk, maintains pH8.3

when Ca falls below 400 (380 is seawater), maybe dose calcium chloride(dowflakes etc) to boost the Ca to whatever. 400 and then drip kalk to maintain. watch your pH. If it is rising, drip less kalk or adjust your alk recipe to only baking soda which pulls pH to 8. If the Ca is good from the kalk, but the pH is running low, then use mostly washing soda for your alk which pulls pH towards 9.

if Mg falls below 1300 there is a recipe for that too.


anyway, study the relationship between alk-Ca-pH-Mg on the chemistry forum so you can manually only add stuff that needs adding.

 

[triggerjay]

I know its all in the safe zone.. but the parameters moved a lot, so maybe I just shocked the Zoas.. They still look the same today. I was also thinking about it, and I added the 2 part to the main display right above them.. (bad thing). I should have added it to the sump. I am not adding anything, and stopped my kalk drip to give things a chance to recover, and I am monitoring everything real close. My 1500 mag level also concerned me, but it seems from what people have told me, I shouldnt be too concerned with it.. as long as I am above 1300... My mag test is also a red-sea kit,... and I have heard they tend to be inaccurate. For all my other tests, I have a marineland reef master test kit. So those #'s I trust. I am happy my water is finally in the "OK" zone, as I have worked a long time to find something to bring my PH up.. (it has always ran about 8.0, even dripping Kalk at 2 tsp per gallon in all makeup).. I'm just gonna let things ride for now, and do my weekly 10% WC on sunday. Now, I do have another question. I have always tried to get my tank water within the safe parameters,.. should I be altering the WC water before I do the WC to get it into ideal parameters? would this be a better approach than changing the chemistry of the tank itself? Thanks, and sorry about the long posts, and impatience. Its just I have worked real hard to get things where they are acceptable, and I thought I ruined everything.. (tank crash) I sort of freaked out..

Jason

 

[drummereef]

I would add the 2-part to the sump. Add it seperately with a couple minutes in between each part to avoid precipitation. You should only be using kalk and 2-part to maintain your alkalinity and calcium levels, not to adjust them. Use baking soda for alk and Turbo Calcium for the calcium. Then maintain as your tank demands. You might be getting a faulty mag reading with that testkit anyway. I would double check it with a Salifet for reference.

Use this calculator to determain how much to add of these products. http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Target 7-11dkh for alkalinity
Target 380-450- for calcium

 

[triggerjay]

ok, Thanks. I had heard about the red sea kits, and was a little hesitant about buying it, but its all the LFS had on hand. (I don't trust it either). Its funny, Whe I first discovered I had low cal, people told me to drip Kalk, which come to find out, maintains levels, not raises them... So then I was told to use a 2 part buffer,... but it only maintains too? I have seen the turbo calcium, and was messing around comparing the amounts needed to get from 370 to 420, and it was going to take a couple bottles of part 2, B-ionic, and only like 2 teaspoons of turbo calcium. Hindsight is 20/20.. Turbo calcium is the next purchase! lol. Thanks a bunch guys.. The Zoas are back to normal today too...

Jason

 

[drummereef]

Good, sounds like you are on the right track. Just remember to use the calculator before you dose. It is really dead on. What it says is what you will get.

Simple steps:
1. Test with Salifert Testkits
2. Adjust - baking soda for alk and Turbo Calcium for calcium (USE THE CALCULATOR!!!)
3. Maintain with a 2-part or kalk

4. Enjoy

 

[drummereef]

Another tip. Once you have your levels set to where you want them, here's what I do to calculate how much 2-part to dose daily.

1. Adjust levels and test for alkalinity and calcium (write down levels)
2. Wait 24 hours and reapeat testing (write down levels)
3. Enter the Current and Desired levels (which is the previous day's levels) and choose your suppliment.
4. Dose daily this amount to maintain the tanks demand on alk and calcium.


:thumbsup:

 

[triggerjay]

so the tanks usage is about the same day to day? That would make things too easy! lol.. I love the calculator, it makes things much easier. Thanks a bunch for the advice.

Jason